Newsletter

Posted June 27, 2012 12:08 am

Special to The Record

Save the manatee this holiday season

Save the Manatee Club reminds the Florida boating community to prepare to participate in manatee safety this busy July 4th holiday and beyond. The club offers a variety of free public awareness materials to protect the endangered marine mammals.

Waterproof banners are free to Florida boaters. These bright, bold yellow banners act as cautionary signs and alert other boaters when manatees are present in the area with the easy-to-see directive, “Please Slow, Manatees Below.” Free yellow dock signs for shoreline property owners in Florida, boating decals, and new waterproof waterway cards containing safe boating information are also available from the Club. All provide the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) hotline number (1-888-404-3922) for reporting manatee injuries, deaths, or harassment.

The club also offers free, family-friendly public awareness manatee signs and posters for sites where human/manatee interactions are a problem. These materials have been distributed around Florida to state, municipal, and county parks; marinas; and other places where harassment of manatees is a concern.

The free signs, banners, decals, posters, and waterway cards can be obtained by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). “Manatee Protection Tips for Boaters” can be found on the Club’s website at http://www.savethemanatee.org/boatertips.htm.

For more information on manatees, the Adopt-A-Manatee program, or to sign up for the club’s free e-newsletter, go to www.savethemanatee.org.